GM Satisfied With the Launch of the GMC Sierra and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado

GM CEO Dan Akerson said that the automaker is satisfied with how the launch of the redesigned full-size pickup trucks went.

Both models, the GMC Sierra and the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, are of utmost importance for the automaker, as big truck sales generate a profit of around $12,000 per vehicle. This is GM’s most important vehicle launch since its near bankruptcy in 2009 and the $50 billion bailout. The trucks, which were redesigned the last time in 2006, play an important role in GM’s strategy to surpass Ford, the no.2 automaker in the US and its F-150 truck, which is the industry’s best-selling vehicle.

GM’s SUVs and big trucks account for around 60% of the automaker’s global profit and Citi predicted that the new models might bring GM operating earnings of more than $1 billion this year and in 2014. The automaker said that it has made customer satisfaction a priority, as each point won in the automaker’s customer retention rate brings $700 million in annual revenue.

“We’ve produced tens of thousands of these new trucks,” Akerson told reporters at the company’s technical center in suburban Detroit. “Initial cut is it’s probably our best launch ever.”